Next time your recipe calls for oil opt for a healthier option whether baking, sautéing, marinating or frying. Organic Macadamia Nut oil is a good fat and a terrific replacement for any oil that a recipe may call for. It contains a perfect 1:1 ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils and an impressive level of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. Dietary trials in Australia and Hawaii demonstrated that macadamia nut consumption lowered risk indicators for heart disease. While Olive Oil is also a highly beneficial oil, it has a much lower smoke point (high heat threshold) and when it reaches really high temps it begins to burn diminishing it’s nutritional value. Flax & fish oils are also amazingly beneficial, but should be consumed cold or at room temp.

The fat-free craze has many on a full force carb binge-out and look where that’s landed us; with the highest obesity rate of any country in the world. Companies are still labeling foods “Fat Free” as if it’s an incentive to buy, to which I’d like to ask…what’s the sugar and simple carb content (the things that really pack on the pounds)?! Instead of being scared of fat, we should embrace the good ones and skip the bad (i.e. trans-fat and partially hydrogenated). Good oils can help you feel full longer (so you have less of a tendency to keep eating), leave your skin beautiful; help improve memory, balance hormones and even help speed up weight loss efforts. 

Whether organic or not, Macadamia Nut oil can be difficult to find in stores. More often than not store clerks look at me with raised eyebrows or squinted eyes as if I’m making this product up, so I order mine online.   This makes a wonderful hostess gift and I highly recommend adding this to your own cupboard!

We have enough to worry about.  We shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not we’re going to get cancer from the sun or from our sunscreen.  Soleo Organics Sunscreen has helped to solve that dilemma by formulating a sunscreen made of only organic or naturally sourced ingredients.  With a highly water resistant broadspectrum SPF 30, this sunscreen is great for all including chemically sensitive individuals and even babies.  Completely biodegradable and (ocean) reef friendly, you won’t find any chemical UV absorbers, synthetic preservatives, colors or fragrances in a bottle of Soleo.  So go ahead and soak up the sun, but do it safely!

Some ingredients to avoid when selecting a sunscreen include:

• Octyl Methoxycinnamate
• Oxybenzone
• Padimate O
• Benzophenone
• Butyl Methoxydibenqoyl Methane
• Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
• Diazolidinylurea

True to its name this ultra pure organic & biodynamic facial moisturizer is just what my skin craves. It hydrates & moistens, while making me look fresh, not shiny. Your skin will drink this up, while it nourishes, purifies & protects! A great choice for your summer skin care regiment. My very picky, combo skin loves the Rosemary Verbenone blend for Most Skin types and I love its fresh herbal aroma (from organic and/or biodynamic essential oils only). I can’t help but taking a deep breath after I’ve massaged it into my dewy-with-toner face. They also offer Neroli for Sensitive Skin and Ylang Ylang for Oilier Skin versions.  Considering it’s very concentrated, it’s highly affordable yet packed full of the purest ingredients sourced from around the world offering the best of the best ingredients. The 100% post consumer recycled amber glass bottles are imported from Germany and the French pump top has a locking system to keep the air out to keep contents fresh longer.

If you’re on a tight budget and asked me to prioritize organic skin care in order of importance, I would list facial moisturizer at the top. That’s not to say that I think cleanser & toner aren’t extremely important, but moisturizer stays on the skin for a long amount of time and is most definitely absorbed. So, in my opinion your moisturizer should be of the utmost quality (totally pure & organic); it should work well and make your skin feel fantastic! This is one of those products.

Benedetta Fresh Aromatherapeutics is located in Petaluma, California and was created by Julia Faller in 1996. Handcrafted in small batches using Certified Organic, Biodynamic, wildcrafted and/or ecologically harvested ingredients, Benedetta’s commitment is to produce holistic, vibrant & fresh products that not only meet a conscious standard for purity, but also deliver remarkable results. With their “From Seed To Bottle” approach, they take good care to ensure their ingredients are top notch and is evident throughout their entire line.

This is hands-down, without question, my favorite facial cleanser and I simply cannot live with it. It is the most effective and purest cleanser I have found (conventional or natural). It worked when nothing else did. I had very clear skin in my teens so you can imagine my disdain when I began to break out in my twenties. Let’s face it, it’s embarrassing and you just don’t feel as confident when you’ve got spots.

I tried countless “natural” products & some conventional ones; some would improve my skin slightly but then return to its old ways.  Suki Lemongrass Cleanser calmed my skin immediately and redness was reduced only after the first use! It is the perfect balance of exfoliation, cleansing power & moisture, not to mention it smells JUST like a Lemon Drop! It wouldn’t be right not to mention its two trusty assistants…enter White Willow Toner & Blue Chamomile Serum. I strongly believe these three products work in harmony with each other. The toner calms, soothes, hydrates and smells delicious. You may be like I was, that I thought it would be crazy to put serum (oil) on my oil-prone skin. Well, it’s time to throw out that misconception because if your skin is oily it’s because it is trying to create more moisture because it is actually dry. Yep, you read that right. The products you are using are drying it out and your face is saying “hey, you’re not hydrating me, so I’ll do it myself” and it is over-compensating for the fact it is dry, produces too much and thus begins the vicious cycle of oily skin (that or you need drink more water & eat more whole food). 

So if you’re looking for a facial cleanser that is both highly effective and truly pure, try it out for yourself.  This is that product you’ve been searching for and it may just be your new favorite too! 

Effective August 1st, the majority of Badger products will bear the USDA Certified Organic seal.  They have been selling totally pure body products for more than a decade, but now they have made it official.  They offer a vast assortment of mostly balms but also offer body lotions, oil and bar soaps as well.  You may have seen their adorable tins or tubes featuring storybook scenes in your local store, but if not you can check them out here.  Featured in glossies such VOGUE, Esquire, Runner’s World & Vegetarian Times, these products are ultra effective and totally safe.  They make a balm for almost every imaginable need.  Here’s a glimpse of their collection:  

-Beauty Balms for Beautiful Beings: includes Evolving Body Balm, Foot Balm & Cuticle Care.

-Outdoor Gift Kit: 2 soap bars, Healing Hands Balm, Bali Balm, Anti-Bug Balm & SPF 15 Lip Balm.

-SPF 30 Sunscreen: Rated in the Top 5 Safest Sunscreens for ‘08 by Environmental Working Group.

-Bali Balm: Soothing After Sun Care

-Sleep Balm: A Calming Sleep Enhancer

If you haven’t already heard about the hip & eco-centric Pangea Organics, it’s time to get in the know!  Comprised of a small group of like-minded soap slingers in Boulder, Colorado they’ve got a lot of style, but even more integrity.  “Pangea” (pan-jee-uh) means “the whole earth” and describes precisely what this company cares so much about.  With a desire for businesses to become more conscious of their decisions and aware of their impact on the earth, after being prompted by a friend, founder Joshua Onysko decided to fund his dream of a learning center (Pangea Institute) with soap sale profits.  With an “Always Beneficial, Never Artificial” mantra, today he is doing just that…laying the financial foundation for a non-profit that will teach entrepreneurs and small businesses all aspects of sustainable living and business practices. 

The first bar of soap he made was at home with his mother and when he got such great feedback about his soap bars from family and friends he decided to sell it at local Farmers Markets.  Today, he is still very much passionate about sourcing the best organic ingredients from around the world, paying a fair wage for those ingredients and ensuring his packaging is recycled and/or recyclable.  The compostable cardboard boxes in which the glass containers arrive contain seeds so that when it’s planted it will grow herbs.  (How cool is that?!)  Today, the line has expanded from bars to include shower gels, lotions, liquid hand soaps, massage/body oils and a full skincare line.  (A children’s line is also in the works…shhhh!).   All of which you can be sure I’ll post more about in the future. 

Not only do I personally love their products for their purity and effectiveness, but their unisex packaging is cool & modern (so lacking amongst organic products) and looks great in the bathroom!

 If you’re waiting until the last minute to get the Dad in your life something unique, forego that polluted bottle of cologne and meet Pangea’s best seller, Canadian Pine with White Sage Shower Gel.  A hit with anyone who’s had the pleasure of smelling and sudsing with the highly concentrated woodsy gel that will last up to three times longer than conventional body wash.  My personal fave is Malagasy Ylang Ylang & Linden Flower.

 If you’re a Pangea convert as well, what’s your favorite scent???